52. Caramel Apple Tart

So my friend Catherine came to visit this weekend to see Waitress starring Sara Bareilles, the writer of the show! It was amazing and wonderful and everything you could possibly want out of a musical about BAKING. So a weekend with a musical about my favourite thing with my favourite people, what else could possibly make this weekend better? MORE BAKING!!!

As Catherine has given up chocolate for lent, that was off the table, so caramel apple tart it was and oh boy was it GOOD.

Makes 1 tart

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 110g (4oz) butter, room temperature

• 50g (20z) caster sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 pinch of salt

• 180g (6oz) plain flour

For the caramel

• 75g (3oz) butter

• 75g (3oz) light brown sugar

• 1 397g can of condensed milk

For the apple filling

• 3 medium sized apples (Braeburns work really well)

• 50g (2oz) caster sugar

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• Some extra brown sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. Beat the pastry sugar and butter together until creamy. Add in the vanilla extract and the eggs and beat until smooth.

2. Fold in the flour and salt until a dough forms.

3. Chill your dough in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm for at least 15 minutes to make it easier to work with.

4. In a small pan melt the caramel butter and sugar on a low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.

5. Add in the tin of condensed milk and bring up to a rapid boil, stirring all the time, until it is a lovely caramel colour. Boil for at least a minute.

6. Peel and core your apples. Then slice them into very thin slices, as thin as possible. Place them in a bowl with the apple filling sugar and flour and toss.

7. Preheat the oven to 175C and lightly grease your pie/tart tin. Mine is 23cm diameter.

8. On a lightly floured surface roll out your dough into a rough circle about 1/6” thick. Use this to line your tart tin. Trim the excess dough off, and press the dough into the sides, making sure it is fully pressed into the tin. Trim again if necessary.

9. Spread the caramel sauce over the bottom of the tart, you may not need all of it.

10. Layer up the apple pieces in any design you like, then add on some extra bits of leftover pastry in any decorative way you like, I just made some balls. Sprinkle over the extra sugar.

11. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving warm, or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

43. Use-it-up berry jam! (tarts optional)

2020, let’s go! One of my new year’s resolutions is to actually maintain this blog. One post a week, without fail. Let’s see how long that lasts…]

As its a New Year, Callum and I decided it was time to have a tidy out, to start the new year fresh. This meant not only the cupboards, but the fridge and freezer. In the dark recesses of the freezer drawer there was a bag of frozen summer fruits, looking forlorn and forgotten that needed using or getting rid really. So I used them to make these mini jam tarts, using the left over pastry from our New Year’s Eve chocolate tart, made using this recipe. I didn’t have much pastry, so I only made 8 mini tarts, and have a big 500ml jar full of jam to be used with toast, or cake, or biscuits, or eaten within a spoon… so many options!

If you don’t fancy a mix, give my fresh strawberry jam tarts recipe a go!

This recipe makes roughly 550ml of jam.

Ingredients

For the jam

• 500g (17.5oz) frozen mixed summer berries, defrosted in the microwave

• 500g (17.5oz) caster sugar

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the pastry (optional)

• 200g (7oz) plain flour

• 125g (4.5oz) butter

• 50g (1.75oz) caster sugar

• 1 medium egg

• a pinch of salt

  OR about 400g ready made shortcrust pastry

Method

1. (TARTS) If making your own pastry, start by creaming together the pastry sugar and butter, before adding in the egg a bit at a time so that it doesn’t split. Then add in the flour and the salt and mix until it all comes together and there are no lumps of butter. Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for 20-30 minutes.

2. Sterilise your jam jar(s).

3. Place a plate in the freezer. This is to do your jam test later. Important step. Don’t miss it.

4. Place your defrosted berries in a saucepan over a medium heat with the lemon juice and stir in the sugar until it has all dissolved. Your berries should be soft from being defrosted.

5. Boil steadily for about 8-9 minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon a little onto your chilled plate and leave for a minute. Run a finger through your jam and if it crinkles and doesn’t flood back into the gap you have just created, it’s ready. As the berries have been frozen, they will likely contain more water than fresh berries and so will take longer to reduce into jam.

6. If your jam fails the plate test, put it back on the heat and boil for another minute then try again. If it passes, skim off any froth and leave to the side to cool for 10-15 minutes, before filling your jam jar(s).

7. (TARTS) Grease a muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 180C.

8. (TARTS) Take your dough out of the fridge and on a floured surface roll it to about 8mm thick. If your dough is too cold and stiff, let it warm up a little at room temperature until it’s easier to roll. Don’t leave it too long or it’ll go soft.

9. (TARTS) Cut your dough using a large circular cookie cutter. Place your twelve dough circles into your muffin tin and press down gently with your fingers, making sure it sinks to the bottom and fills in the bottom corners. You want the sides to come about halfway up the muffin tin.

10. (TARTS) Spoon the cooled jam into each case not quite to the brim.

11. (TARTS) Bake for 12-15 minutes until the pastry has turned a light golden brown.

12. Leave to cool.

13. Enjoy!

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24. Chocolate Tart

Christmas is almost here!!!!!

Anyone else excited? I’m so ready for the break from London life and going back home to see my family. Or rather, doing the rounds around all the different friends and family members who want to see me over the holidays, meaning I don’t really spend all that much time at home. Christmas is fun, but it’s definitely not restful!

I’m not a fan of Christmas pudding, or Christmas cake, so Christmas desserts to me have nearly always been chocolate based. A roulade, a black forest gateau, or just some chocolate ice cream, chocolate is a dominant Christmas time treat. That’s why I decided to make this chocolate tart in the lead up to Christmas. Maybe you guys have fussy family members like me who don’t like Christmas pudding? If so, this one’s for you!

Makes 1 tart

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

• 200g plain flour

• 125g butter

• 50g sugar

• 1 medium egg

• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

• Pinch of salt

  OR about 400g ready made sweet shortcrust pastry

For the chocolate ganache

• 300ml double cream

• 50ml milk

• 50g butter

• 200g chocolate (preferably dark)

• 1 tsp sugar

• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Cream together the butter and sugar for the pastry. Slowly add in the egg a bit at a time, mixing the dough together as you do so it doesn’t split. Add in the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix until the dough all comes together.

2. Flatten the dough and wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C.

4. Roll out the chilled dough and line your tart tin. Mine is 14” diameter. Make sure that you push the dough into the corners so that it won’t shrink like mine did!

5. Roll the top off using your rolling pin, then push the dough into the sides to make sure it is all lined evenly. Use the back of a knife to get rid of any excess. Put back in the fridge to rest for 5 minutes.

6. Pierce the base of your tart several times using a fork, all the way through! This will stop the bottom from rising as it bakes. Line the tart with either greaseproof paper or clingfilm and fill with baking beans, rice or something else suitable to hold up the edges of the tart as it bakes.

7. Blind bake the tart with the beans in for 10-15 minutes until the edge is golden. Then remove the beans and bake the tart for another 15-20 minutes until the base is golden as well.

8. Take out of the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin.

9. In a pan bring the cream, sugar and salt to the boil and immediately remove from the heat. Add in the butter and then chocolate in chunks and stir until they have completely blended in. Once the mixture has cooled a little, stir in the milk.

10. Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart once the tart has cooled and leave to set at room temperature. If you put it in the fridge it may seize. (Mine has a slightly paler patch as my jug had some residue milk in the bottom. Oops.)

11. Enjoy! Decorate with icing sugar or white chocolate.

12. Tomato and Basil Tarts

Up until recently I would not eat a raw tomato. The texture was too wet, it was too slimy and all in all I could not wrap my head around it. In the past few weeks I have been getting over that. I can now eat cherry tomatoes and really kinda enjoy them. I don't think I could just sit and eat a whole punnet yet, but a couple now and then? Sure thing.

This revelation was sparked when a bowl of tomatoes was laid out in the kitchen at work. People grow them on our balcony and I thought, you know, would be rude not to seeing as they've grown them themselves and are standing right here. So I tried one and I didn't hate it. Who knew?? I don't think that I could eat a whole garden variety tomato yet, but one I can just pop in my mouth? No problem.

Seeing as I didn't die, I decided to experiment some more with tomatoes, first in my every day cooking, and then in my baking. Inspired by a Garden Tomato and Basil Tart from Pastry Affair, I decided to make my own version, a bit more bite sized. I guess you can tell I really enjoy mini tarts by now right? This is my fifth tart recipe! 

I made these at the same time as my Goat's Cheese and Balsamic Onion Tarts, and used the same recipe for the pastry. These also came into work and were gleefully devoured. I can't tell whether my coworkers would just eat anything put in front of them or whether they genuinely enjoyed it that much. Could go either way.

Makes 18-24 tarts

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 200g (7oz) plain flour

• 100g (3.5oz) butter, room temperature

• 1 tbsp mixed herbs

• Pinch of salt

For the filling

• Roughly 200g (7oz) of cherry or plum tomatoes

• 1 tbsp oil

• Some fresh basil

Method

1. Make your pastry. Cube the butter and rub in the flour, salt and herbs until it forms breadcrumbs and then a short dough. You made need to press it together to get it to form a dough. If it is too short to just stay together, add a small splash of water to moisten it.

2. Wrap your dough in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 175C.

4. Roll out your dough to about 1/8" thick and then use a circular cutter, size depending on the size of your tin, to stamp out your rounds. Press your dough a pre greased tart or tartlet tin.

5. Bake the tart cases for 10 minutes.

6. Slice your tomatoes in half and roughly scoop out the seeds. This will help lower the moisture content. Place them skin side down in a pan with some oil and fry over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until they release their moisture.

7. Scoop out the tomatoes with a slotted spoon, and allow to drain a little.

8. Fill the half baked tart cases with your tomatoes and add in the basil. The tomatoes will shrink in the oven, so make sure to pack them in.

9. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the tarts are just golden.

10. Enjoy!

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11. Goats Cheese and Balsamic Onion Tarts

I've just had my last week at my temp job and so my coworkers have had their last set of baked goods. There were requests for cakes, biscuits, doughnuts, repeats of things I've made before. Some requests were more reasonable than others... How am I supposed to bring a cream filled Swedish Princess cake (they made it on Bake Off once) on the tube at rush hour?? I couldn't decide between their requests, so I decided to ignore them completely. 

I. Went... SAVOURY.

Hold your gasps of shock please, it does happen once in a while. The tarts were requested so many times that I decided they were a good idea, but I don't like doing repeats so soon, so I decided that tarts don't need to be sweet, savoury can be just as good.

Having a quick trawl of the internet I came across a load of different savoury tart recipe ideas including this one, and a tomato tart. Onion and goats cheese tarts was a popular recipe, with tons of different sites giving their twist. So I put my own twist on.

They went down extremely well, I hope you enjoy them too! 

Makes 18-24 tarts

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 200g (7oz) plain flour

• 100g (3.5oz) butter, room temperature

• 1 tbsp mixed herbs

• Pinch of salt

For the filling

• One red onion, sliced

• 125g (4.5oz) goats cheese

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 knob butter

• Pinch sugar

Method

1. Make your pastry. Cube the butter and rub in the flour, salt and herbs until it forms breadcrumbs and then a short dough. You made need to press it together to get it to form a dough. If it is too short to just stay together, add a small splash of water to moisten it.

2. Wrap your dough in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes.

3. Melt the butter in a lidded frying pan and add in the sliced onion. Cover with a lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes until they soften. Then remove the lid and add in the sugar and balsamic vinegar. WARNING: This will smell. Get your extractor fan on or at least close the door and open a window!

4. Cook the onions for a further 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions are "jammy". Leave to one side.

5. Preheat the oven to 175C.

6. Roll out your dough to about 1/8" thick and then use a circular cutter, size depending on the size of your tin, to stamp out your rounds. Press your dough a pre greased tart or tartlet tin.

7. Bake the tart cases for 12 minutes and then take out.

8. Cut the goats cheese into 24 (or however many tarts you made) chunks.

9. Divide your onion mixture between the tarts. Top with a chunk of goats cheese and return to the oven for 5-7 minutes until the cheese has slightly melted and the tart cases are just golden.

10. Enjoy!

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